The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-25
PREACHING TO seoo,ooo,ooo.
The Man Who Keeps Gould Reminded
of the Punishment Awaiting Him.

The Man Who Keeps Gould Reminded
of the Punishment Awaiting Him.
Nc1o York Letter to the Pittsbupy Dispatch.
A great deal is written about the preach
ers of the metropolis, and particularly about
those who, like Talnage, keep their names
constantly before the public by means OF
books, lectures and published sermons. But
there are some very noteworthy clergymen,
who draw enormous audiences and possess
great ability, who are rarely heard of in
print, although known UP and down the
city. Unquestionab4y Rev. Dr. John K.
Paxton stands at the head of the ministry
in New York Even DR.. John Hall and Dr.
Morgan Dix do not equal Paxton in elo-
quence, originality and remarkable indie
pendence of thought.
To begin with, Paxton's congregation con-
tains more wealth at the present time than
any other church in the United States. The
mere fact that within a radius Of half a
dozen pews on the middle aisle sit Jay
Gould, Russell Sage, Heber R. Bishop and
Henry NJ Flagler is of itself sufficient to
prove the assertion. This is only representa-
tive Of the wealth that has sittings and lis
tens every Sabbath to the common-sense dis
courses Of the brilliant young preacher.
Flagler is one OF the chief directors of the
Standard Oil Company. He sits pretty well
up the aisle, while back by the door, in fact
within one pew of the door, modeStly sits S.
G.. T., DOdd, the resident attorney of the
Standard and lawyer who is said to know
more about corporation practice than any
man in the nation. | could mention a score
or more of very rich men in the church, en-
bracing merchants, lawyers, brokers and the
like, but it will suffice to remark that the
aggregate wealth of the congregation is
over 5000 100000
While millionaires and aristocratic So
ciety people sit down stairs, the galleries
are crowded morning and evening with
hundreds of young men who are simply
bound up in Paxton.
DR.. Paxtons church is known as the
West Presbyterian, and is situated ON West
Forty second street, about midway between
Fifth and Sixth avenues 1t isa very hand
some structure, particularly in the interior.
The galleries are novel in their construction,
having been altered about eighteen months
ago. Instead of being arranged in pews,
there are boxes all around the three sides.
The boxes are rented as they are in thea
tres, so that large family can have an en-
tire box, or a small family can have part of
box. A good many young men rent
single seat in one of the compartments The
boxes are very comfortable, containing easy
chairs book racks, and are lavishly and
richly upholstered. The boxes rise in tiers,
one above the other, SO as to afford a good
view of the house.
The church was always a large and pros
porous one, but when the venerable pastor
and hymnisG, Rev. Dr. Thomas S. Hastings,
resigned and the eloquent Paxton was
called, the church increased in size, aif1uence
and influence until it's contributions and con-
gregationS are enormous. Less than year
ago DR.. Paxton, at the close of his sermon,
without giving any previous notice. asked
for money for the building of new chapel
among the poorer classes over on Tenth
avenue and Sixty-fft street. The baskets
were passed and $21 900 were raised in
few moments. This is a sample of the char
ity of the church and the influence wrought
by an appeal by the pastor The church
will seat over 800, but there is scarcely a
Sunday that there are not 1000 people pres
ent at the services. Chairs are placed in
front of the pulpit, camp chairs are dis
tributed in the galleries, and yet people
stand in the aisles and by the doors, and
ladies sit on the pulpit steps.
1t might be well to mention how the mil
lionaires, and especially Jay Gould, came to
become members of the church. It is Pax
tons magnetism and his practical everyday
common sense that drew them. Gould
never went to church regularly before. He
had pew for his family in a prominent
Episcopal church but rarely attended him
self. Ills youngest daughter, Helen Gould,
first came to Paxton's church She went
with friend and admired the preacher very
much. Finally she became frequent at
tendant and then joined the church one
Sabbath morning, receiving a very happy
tribute from Paxton as to her Christian
virtues and sweet life. Since then although
very young, she has been made superintend-
| ent of one of the large missions connected
with the church, and is said to spend a
! great deal of time and money among the
| poor. She promises to become one of the
| great women benefactors of the metropolis
| before many years elapse. Helens enthusi-
| asm over Paxton induced her father to go
| and hear him. Paxton never spares the
| millionaire and the great corporation, and
| oddly enough, all the millionaireS and cor
poration managers in his congregations like
| his criticisms Russell Sage is reputed TO
| have said that he got more good points from
Paxton as to the way in which railroads
| should be decently and honorably conducted
AT any rate, Gould was delighted He had
his son George go with him one evening,
and George also was charmed
DIR. PaXton's salary is $4,000 year, the
largest received by any metropolitan pastor
| DR.. John Hall, of the Fifth Avenue Presby-
terrain church, is understood to come next
He gets 500 in gold, that being the price
stipulated when he was induced to leave his
| large church in Dublin about fifteen years
| ago.
John r. Paxton is a Southerner by birth,
and still retains strong Southern accent
| that is very noticeable in all his discourses,
and renders it difficult sometimes for stran-
gers to understand him at first